Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 9/18/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Minnesota Twins vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Friday, September 18, 2020

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: FSN/MARQ

Odds/Point Spread: Twins (+120) Cubs (-130)

Max Kepler and the Minnesota Twins (31-21, 2nd in AL Central) head to Wrigley Field on Friday where they'll take on the Chicago Cubs (30-20, 1st in NL Central). The Cubs open this contest at -130 while the Twins are priced at +120. The total opens at 9.5. The expected starting pitchers are Rich Hill and Kyle Hendricks.

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

9/16/2020 Jake Odorizzi SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/14/2020 Mitch Garver C Side Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/13/2020 Brent Rooker RF Forearm Out for the season
9/11/2020 Luis Arraez 2B Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/6/2020 Homer Bailey SP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 18

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

9/16/2020 Brad Wieck RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
9/15/2020 Tyler Chatwood SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 27
9/15/2020 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/15/2020 Jose Quintana RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
9/15/2020 Andrew Chafin RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
8/23/2020 James Norwood RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 18

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Twins have a 31-21 overall record this season. Hill has pitched in 963 innings and has racked up 1,026 K's in his MLB career. His ERA is 3.82 (409 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.228. He has conceded 798 base knocks (7.5 hits per nine innings) with 385 free passes. Hill (67-43 win-loss record in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 3.99 and he has faced 4,045 hitters in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.66 and they have given up 181 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the bullpen and they've struck out 228 hitters and walked 66 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.66. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 383 base hits and 176 earned runs. They have allowed 55 home runs this season, ranking them 26th in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 144 batters and struck out 452. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.22 and their FIP as a unit is 3.86.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Minnesota is hitting .243, good for 17th in the league. The Twins hold a .428 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 7.8 hits per game. Max Kepler is hitting .210 with an on-base percentage of .313. He has 29 hits this season in 138 at bats with 18 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .399 and an OPS+ of 94. Nelson Cruz is hitting .321 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .409. He has totaled 54 hits and he has driven in 32 men in 168 at bats. His OPS+ is 183 while his slugging percentage is at .643. The Twins have 398 hits, including 64 doubles and 78 home runs. Minnesota has walked 165 times so far this season and they have struck out 433 times as a unit. They have left 323 men on base and have a team OPS of .747. They score 4.51 runs per contest and have scored a total of 230 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 30-20 overall mark this year. Hendricks (68-47 win-loss record in his career) holds a 3.15 earned run average while conceding 8.0 hits per nine innings. He has a SO/W ratio of 3.88 and he has gone up against 4,176 opposing batters in his pro baseball career. In his pro baseball career, Hendricks has conceded 921 base hits while he has totaled 869 punchouts in 1,031 innings. He has allowed 361 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.110 and having a FIP of 3.6. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.33 and they have given up 132 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .191 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 191 batters and walked 84 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.98. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 374 base knocks and 191 earned runs this season. They have given up 59 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 154 hitters and struck out 436 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.22 while their FIP as a staff is 4.13.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .230, good for 24th in the league. The Cubs hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 7.4 hits per contest. Kyle Schwarber comes into this matchup batting .194 with an OBP of .314. He has 31 hits this year along with 21 RBI in 160 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .406 with an OPS+ of 93. Willson Contreras is hitting .248 this season and he has an OBP of .349. He has collected 40 hits in 161 at bats while driving in 21 runs. He has an OPS+ of 102 and a slugging percentage of .398. The Cubs as a unit have 368 base hits, including 72 doubles and 63 homers. Chicago has walked 194 times this year and they have struck out on 482 occasions. They have had 347 men left on base and have an OPS of .729. They have scored 4.6 runs per game and totaled 230 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Twins/Cubs MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins (+120)

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